1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns methods, devices and apparatus for moisturizing medical gases prior to their administration to a mammal, including a human in need of such treatment.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
The treatment of very ill, hospitalized patients with a variety of medical gases including oxygen has been found invaluable in a variety of medical disabilities. Generally, these medical gases as provided by the manufacturer are relatively dry and tend to dry mucous membranes of the treated patient unless humidified prior to administration. Medical gas mositurizers are generally well known. Representative of such moisturizers are those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,793,810 and 3,836,079. These moisturizers are generally associated with the patient undergoing treatment through flexible tubing means which delivers the humidified gas to the patient. Those skilled in the art have appreciated that on occasion an agitated or uncomprehending patient may cause a partial or complete occlusion of the flexible tubing, thereby creating an undesirable back-pressure in the moisturizers and interrupting therapy. In such instances, it is highly important that attending medical personnel be alerted to (1) the fact of occlusion or other cause of back-pressure in the moisturizer and (2) the severity of the occlusion. Given the locality of the treatment (generally a hospital or like facility) it is also important that the means of alerting the personnel be positive, readily recognized and located as to site of the problem, non-irritating to other patients and not distracting to personnel not authorized to respond. It is also important that the alert means not be a means of agitating the patient being treated.
The method and apparatus of our invention is an improvement over prior art mositurizing apparatus, solving the above-described problems of the prior art and meeting the requirements described above for alerting medical personnel should a back-pressure problem develop.
Audible pressure relief valves are also generally well known; see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 777,538; 1,493,570; and 3,459,218.